Whether it is samosas in Delhi, currywrust in Berlin, crêpes in Paris, hotdogs in New York, waffles in Brussels or Phở in Hanoi, street food is indispensable for a traveller, especially when you have to keep a close watch on your budget. Meant primarily for local inhabitants, travellers get a taste of food that is not tailored to their taste, often in the company of locals only too willing to chat in a much more convivial setting than one would get in a restaurant. Read the rest of this entry »

Maybe because it has been raining for weeks now and the sun seems to have disappeared completely from our lives, maybe because the autumnal colours are long gone and winter is finally setting in and spreading its greyness around or maybe just because those holidays had been amazing, but I have been feeling nostalgic about the Andamans for some time now. Read the rest of this entry »

Lamayuru monastry. Our first halt since Kargil and we were itching to do more than just drive through the mountains. There had been nothing much to visit since Srinagar so we were really looking forward to some sight-seeing!

It had been my dream to go to Ladakh. Correction, it had been my dream to go to Ladakh by road. It wasn’t getting to Leh or any of the touristy destinations that was to me the most enticing part of the journey. I had heard that the landscape on the road to Ladakh was breathtaking and I wanted to see it for myself. Read the rest of this entry »

I almost planned my next holidays listening to Jacques Brel’s “Bruxelles”. It made me so nostalgic for the city, that I almost bought my tickets. However, I have already been there twice and since we are unable to take as many breaks travelling in a year as we would like, we ultimately decided to go somewhere else. Read the rest of this entry »

What do you think of when you think “Museum”. Chances are that if you are British, you would be thinking of the British Museum, if you are French, then the Louvre and the other 1,000 odd museums in Paris and if you are Indian, like me, Read the rest of this entry »

The idea of what is beautiful, as much as scientists like to debate on ratio and proportions, is not universal. Of course, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder etc. etc. but what I am trying to say is that there is also a cultural aspect to it. I was always surprised how casually people were dressed in France when going out for an evening, with friends or otherwise. Read the rest of this entry »

It has been three years that I am living in Europe now and I have all but forgotten what it means not to have electricity in the house for hours. It does happen sometimes during the summer when we are in the countryside and that too not for very long. But when it does, it does not bother us much because there is light till very late and we anyway don’t need a fan. Things have become better in India too but its far from over and I do remember load sheddings in India. Read the rest of this entry »